Self-assessment Process Research Articles

Análisis interpretativo del proceso de acreditación en función del diseño de recomendaciones de gestión académica y directiva en la Facultad de Administración de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia sede Manizales

Este artículo expone el análisis de los informes de acreditación de la Facultad de Administración de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia sede Manizales, de acuerdo a sus modelos de evaluación y al proceso de la evaluación institucional desarrollado por los programas curriculares que la conforman. Además, presenta las estrategias que posibilitan la articulación entre la gestión directiva y académica en el marco del mejoramiento continuo. Este proceso de autoevaluación comprendido como un ejercicio permanente de reflexión y de acción se enmarca en los lineamientos dispuestos por parte del Consejo Nacional de Acreditación de Colombia (CNA) en la “Guía para el mejoramiento institucional”, cuyo propósito es obtener una visión de la situación actual de los programas curriculares respecto a los criterios de calidad. Esto garantizó la obtención rigurosa de datos para lograr un diagnóstico de los procesos de gestión y administración académica, permitiendo extraer conclusiones y proponer recomendaciones que buscan consolidar una cultura de la autoevaluación y el mejoramiento de los procesos académicos y administrativos. Para este análisis se partió de un estudio inicial exploratorio descriptivo de los factores planteados por la guía del CNA: misión institucional, procesos académicos, organización y gestión, que dan cuenta del estado en que se encuentran los programas curriculares, estableciendo una relación con los procesos de gestión directiva y gestión académica, referentes planteados por el Ministerio de Educación Nacional de Colombia. Desde esta relación se ofrecen recomendaciones académicas y de gestión en el marco del proceso de autoevaluación.

Developing a Short Form of the Self-Assessment Practices Scale: Psychometric Evidence

This research aimed to develop a short form of the Self-assessment Practices Scale (SaPS). Guided by a process model of self-assessment, the SaPS scale was designed to assess the actions students engage in during the self-assessment process. The data used for developing the original 20-item SaPS (SaPS-20), i.e., 1416 Hong Kong students ranging from Primary 4 to Secondary 3, were reanalyzed, and a 12-item short form (SaPS-SF) was developed. Factor analysis and Rasch analysis were applied in complementary ways to examine the psychometric properties of the SaPS-SF. The results showed that factor structure of the original scale held in the SaPS-SF, and all items fitted the Rasch model requirements sufficiently and measured the constructs as theorized. The findings presented in this study facilitate the measurement of self-assessment practice in a parsimonious and effective way.

Impact of the Self-Assessment Process on Quality Enhancement of Higher Education Institutions: A Case Study of Vietnam

Impact of the Self-Assessment Process on Quality Enhancement of Higher Education Institutions: A Case Study of Vietnam

Promoting educational work using modern educational assessment tools: Creating and implementing rubrics for assessing projects and the cultivation of 21st-century skills

The purpose of this study is to highlight the effectiveness of the use of rubric as a modern technique for teaching and assessing educational work. More specifically, our purpose is to explore the benefits of the implementation of the rubric for the project assessment in comparison with other traditional assessment techniques as far as the development of skills and the improvement of the educational work is concerned. The analytical rubric that was created and employed in the study included the following criteria (each with pre-determined quality levels): content completeness, structure and organisation, creativity, development of skills and cognitive concepts. This processing tool automatically quantifies the gradient of the criteria and automatically completes the final descriptive evaluation. It has a modern pedagogical scientific approach and flexibility, which gives impetus to creative projects in school. Six teachers of a Greek high school in Athens participated in the study. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview. The nature of the study was qualitative. The results revealed that the rubric can replace any other traditional technique. The tool allowed the students to evaluate their efforts, thus allowing them to realise the usefulness of the rubric as a self-assessment tool. Moreover, by using the rubric the students and the teachers had the chance to communicate constructively. The teachers and the students assessed the rubric in a positive way as the students were led to self-assessment processes through reflection and feedback and the development of cognitive and metacognitive skills.
 Keywords: Authentic assessment project, rubric, assessment criteria, reflection, 21st-century skills.

Cultivation of 21st-century skills: Creating and implementing rubrics for assessing projects

The purpose of this study is to highlight the effectiveness of the implementation of the rubric for the project assessment in comparison with other traditional assessment techniques. The development of skills and the improvement of educational work are concerned. This processing tool automatically quantifies the gradient of the criteria and automatically completes the final descriptive evaluation. It has a modern pedagogical scientific approach and flexibility, which gives impetus to creative projects in school. Six teachers of a Greek high school in Athens participated in the study. The data were collected through a semi-structured interview. The results revealed that the rubric can replace any other traditional technique. The tool allowed the students and the teachers to communicate constructively. Teachers assessed the rubric in a positive way as the students were led to self-assessment processes through reflection and feedback and the development of cognitive and metacognitive skills.
 Keywords: Authentic assessment, project, rubric, assessment criteria, reflection, 21st-century skills.

Mixed-Method Study of Utilizing Portfolios to Document and Assess Co-Curricular Activities: Student and Advisor Perceptions.

Background: Development of professional behaviors must occur in tandem with clinical skills to ensure graduates provide quality care. Portfolios have been widely utilized as a medium to document and reflect on experiences related to professional skills. Methods: Students were required to complete a series of co-curricular activities and document them via paper or electronic portfolios, which were shared with their advisors for feedback and review. To gather perception data, student surveys were administered twice: once for the electronic cohort and once for the paper cohort after their first-year experience with the platform, and focus groups were conducted a year later. Faculty advisors were also asked to complete surveys. Results: Both students and advisors felt that electronic portfolios resulted in a greater understanding of the educational outcomes and was the preferred method for recording co-curricular requirements. Several technical challenges arose with the use of the electronic portfolio and many students and advisors felt they needed more education regarding mapping of activities. Conclusions: The electronic portfolio was found to be more sustainable as compared with paper portfolios, as it helped students adhere to the criteria and self-assessment process. Further research is needed to evaluate long-term benefit of documenting and assessing co-curricular experiences within an electronic platform.

Uso de TIC en la Universidad del País Vasco – Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU). Experiencia de un grupo especializado en innovación educativa

El sistema educativo ha de proveer formación en el uso de las tecnologías de información y comunicación (TIC) para el desarrollo personal y profesional de la ciudadanía. Para ello, también es necesaria la formación del propio profesorado; que en la Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU) ofrece el servicio de asesoramiento educativo. Mediante el análisis de las memorias anuales disponibles elaboradas por el citado servicio, se observa que desde el año 2013 se han ofertado de media unos 60 cursos al año y que de ellos el 18% estaban relacionados con las TIC. Así, se han otorgado unas 967 acreditaciones anuales, de las cuales una cuarta parte corresponden a cursos relacionados con las TIC.Las autoras del presente artículo conforman un grupo especializado en innovación educativa y han participado en diferentes actividades relacionadas con las TIC. Han asistido a diferentes cursos y han colaborado en 5 proyectos de innovación educativa. Mediante el trabajo realizado por el grupo se concluye que las TIC pueden aplicarse a cualquier curso y modalidad docente y que los estudiantes valoran positivamente la utilildad de las actividades interactivas desarrolladas, principalmente para su proceso de autoevaluación. Por ello, la perspectiva futura es la de seguir avanzado en el desarrollo e implementación de nuevas herramientas dinamizadoras que sirvan de apoyo al proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje en las etapas de asimilación de conceptos, revisión y evaluación.

Concepciones de los docentes sobre el tratamiento de las competencias a traves de los videojuegos en el aula de ciencias

La entrada de las TIC en general en el mundo académico es ya una realidad, el número de investigaciones, actividades divulgadas por los distintos medios tanto formales como no formales así lo demuestran. Los videojuegos (VJ) en particular juegan un papel importante en muchas de ellas. No obstante, el tratamiento de estos en el aula de ciencias experimentales (CCEE) es más escaso, y los que hay solo pertenecen a aquellas de corte divulgativo. Por tanto, existe una necesidad de profundizar sobre este recurso y en el área de CCEE en particular, con la finalidad de generar modelos de buenas prácticas y su implantación en el aula de ciencias.En este estudio se presenta un estudio sobre las concepciones que tienen los docentes, tanto en formación inicial como en ejercicio, sobre el papel de los VJ en el tratamiento de las competencias y/o contenidos de ciencias. Se ha abordado bajo un corte cuantitativo dentro de un paradigma interpretativo, vislumbrándose la necesidad de acercarse a la subjetividad que existe en las competencias a través de los indicadores objetivos que nos permiten los contenidos.

Using a Reflexive Process to Investigate Organizational Change: The Use of the Research Spider Matrix

Academic health sciences libraries increasingly are urged to develop research support services for faculty and students. However, moving to a research-centric culture is not easy. It requires assessment of existing competencies (defined as knowledge, experience, and skills) to identify capacity and gaps and to inform individualized and unit-level professional development activities. This case study examines the self-assessment process undertaken by librarians at a large urban academic health sciences library as they began to build a new research support services unit.

A Guided Survey Approach for Joint Commission Preparedness in Radiology

Radiology practices across the United States aspire to Joint Commission accreditation, the nation’s gold standard certification of effective, efficient, and safe patient care. Toward that end, radiology department leaders devote substantial effort searching the available literature to better understand the expectations of TJC and thus better prepare their organization for the review process. In this article, we review and summarize current recommendations and standards of practice in order to facilitate the self-assessment process. We present an efficient, interactive survey tool that can aid practice leaders, including radiologists and administrators, as they internally survey their own departments in preparation for The Joint Commission survey process.

Improving student-centered feedback through self-assessment

BackgroundTraditionally, feedback on written work is unidirectional, with academics feeding back to students. This project aimed to establish bi-directional feedback between the student and academics through a process of self-assessment. ObjectivesTo improve the process of student-centered feedback by including a self-assessment component to an assessment task. DesignA two-phased, mixed methods explanatory sequential approach was used. SettingsStudents were enrolled across two campuses at a large university in Victoria, Australia. ParticipantsThe Phase One sample consisted of all students enrolled in Year One and Year Three of the Bachelor of Nursing. There were 484 students enrolled in Year One, and 419 students enrolled in Year Three. Some students elected not to complete the self-assessment rubric, and those students were removed from the sample. This left 430 Year One, and 324 Year Three assessments in the sample. Convenience sampling was used in Phase Two to collect qualitative data via semi-structured focus groups from students in years One and Three. MethodsQuantitative data of student-assessed and academic-assessed marks were entered by a research assistant and then analysed using SPSS. Qualitative data were collected from a semi-structured interview and focus group with Year One and Year Three students. Qualitative data were then thematically analysed. Results and conclusionsYear One students were closer at estimating their own grade (M = 3.60; SD = 11.94) than Year Three students (M = 6.47; SD = 12.81). Students often underestimated their grade to see if the marker would match it or provide them with a higher grade. Year One students have trouble finding and utilising evidence while Year Three students cite this as a strength.When students engaged with the process, their self-review of work enabled them to improve the work prior to submission, and academic feedback was more meaningful. However, many students lacked trust in the process, and instead opted to ‘game the system’, hoping to hide flaws in their work, or draw extra marks from an academic by marking their own work down.

A inserção de discentes em projetos de Pesquisa, Desenvolvimento e Inovação: desenvolvimento e formação profissional

O Polo de Inovação Fortaleza desenvolve ações que visam atender as demandas das cadeias produtivas por atividades de Pesquisa, Desenvolvimento e Inovação (P, D & I). Dentro de sua estrutura, conta com uma coordenação de Formação de Recursos Humanos que é responsável por acompanhar ações voltadas para o processo formativo dos discentes envolvidos nos projetos, com o intuito de complementar a qualificação dos mesmos em seu percurso formativo e práticas profissionais. Esse acompanhamento tem dentro do seu escopo principal, a formalização da entrada dos discentes, em projetos de pesquisa aplicada, bem como permanência e desempenho dos mesmos nas atividades, qualificação, capacitação e avaliação. Desta forma, o presente estudo tem como propósito formar indicadores através do quantitativo dos alunos do Instituto federal do Ceará inseridos em projetos de pesquisa desenvolvidos no Polo de Inovação Fortaleza, seus cursos de origem e titulação, assim como perceber de que forma os alunos são credenciados, selecionados, formados e avaliados. Os resultados indicam mais de trezentos estudantes inseridos em projetos de pesquisa aplicada, distribuídos em cursos do nível técnico ao doutorado. Indicam ainda critérios para credenciamento; participação em cursos, palestras e workshops como incremento do processo seletivo; processos de avaliação e auto avaliação e uso na metodologia PBL (Aprendizado Baseado em Problemas (PBL). Os resultados indicam ainda o uso de um edital de credenciamento de estudantes, assim como instrumentais para seleção e avaliação destes.

Nurse career mapping: a qualitative case study of a new hospital

BackgroundCareer mapping is an effective strategy for providing nurses with a clear direction and a realistic time scale for achieving their career goals. The purpose of this research is to investigate career mapping for nurses at a new hospital in Jakarta.MethodThe study design is qualitative and implements a focussed case study approach. Data were collected from focus group discussions (FGDs) with two groups: one group consisted of eight staff nurses and the other consisted of six nurse managers. An inductive content analysis of all transcripts from the FGDs and of field notes was conducted independently.ResultThis research produced seven themes that together portray the entire career mapping process. In Hospital X, the career map for a particular nurse is based on the level of formal education, the length and nature of their work experience and a competency assessment. A self-assessment process and considerations related to competence in all aspects of nursing have been included in the process for nurses at Hospital X. The idea that nurses should be positioned in a working environment that matches their level of competency is a fundamental principle for nursing managers.ConclusionAs a new hospital, Hospital X has implemented nurse career mapping and striven for accreditation. Career developments not only become the responsibility of an organisation but also the responsibility of individuals to develop themselves and their careers.

Use of The Servqual Model for The Composition of Self-Assessment in Hei, Case Study

The present article intends to identify the levels of satisfaction of the Faculdade do Litoral Paranaense ISEPE, in order to assess the results in relation to the five Dimensions structured in the Self-assessment being the Tangible Dimensions of Confidence, Responsibility, Security and Empathy. With that it adapted the model SERVQUAL developed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry (2006) and with the scale of Likert establishing a structured questionnaire in order to establish a direct communication with the academics and users. The general objective of this work is to adapt this model to be used in the Institutional Self-Assessment process of the Faculdade do Litoral Paranaense - ISEPE Guaratuba, seeking to verify the feasibility of the use of these models. After the results obtained and analyzed during the research, it is necessary to appreciate the management of the Institution with the objective of improving the quality of the services provided by the Institution, which are included in the dimensions surveyed.

Evaluation of a peer- and self-grading process for clinical writing assignments

ObjectivesAs class sizes in pharmacy education increase, faculty must develop new assessment strategies for essay writing assignments. This study evaluated accuracy and student perceptions of an innovative grading process that utilizes both peer- and self-assessment. MethodsFour SOAP note sessions were evaluated. Each session included four activities: a writing workshop, assessment workshop, and reflection session. For each assessment workshop students scored their note and a blinded peer's note using a grading form, facilitated by a faculty-led discussion. In a subsequent reflection session, students reviewed their peer- and self-assigned grades and could petition for faculty review if desired. The average self-, peer-, and final-grades were compared for each of the four SOAP note sessions using ANOVA. After the fourth session, students completed an anonymous 10-question Likert-scale survey regarding their perceptions of the process and three open-response questions. Survey results were analyzed with descriptive statistics. ResultsApproximately 140 students participated. No difference was found between the average self-, peer-, and final-grades for all four sessions (p > 0.05). The survey response rate was 65% (91/140). Survey questions were grouped into three themes. The majority of students either strongly agreed or agreed that sessions were well organized and effective (≥84%), assessment workshops enhanced learning (≥68%), and the scoring method was fair (≥72%). The lowest score (mean 2.53 on a 4-point scale) reflected satisfaction with peer-provided feedback. When asked what they liked most, respondents most commonly cited that faculty-led review and discussion enhanced clinical knowledge. ImplicationsThe combination of a peer- and self-assessment process was accurate, well-received, and can be used to decrease faculty workload.

A incidência dos mecanismos isomórficos nos processos de autoavaliação institucional

The meanderings surrounding the institutional self-assessment process of higher education institutions have fostered numerous discussions in the academic world. Part of the doctrine sees it as a quality-generating tool, another part sees it as a tool of coercive control. The objective of this study was to analyze the incidence of isomorphic mechanisms in the realization of the self-assessment processes of a public higher education institution, specifically, regarding the dissemination of the results of this process. The analysis of the data contained in the institutional reports was carried out by means of a descriptive statistical analysis of an exploratory nature. The study period comprised the years between 2012 to 2016 and it is available on the website of the institution analyzed. The results showed that the institutional self-evaluation process has indications of coercive and mimetic isomorphic mechanisms, requiring further studies to confirm the incidence of normative isomorphic mechanisms. Considering that the percentage of non-functional appropriation of the servers, professors and educational administrative technicians was above 40% during the study period, it is concluded that the coercive and mimetic isomorphic mechanisms have influenced the stages of realization and dissemination of the results of the institutional self-assessment process.

Usefulness of the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) Quality Improvement Self-assessment Tool After 1 Year.

The Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) created a voluntary quality improvement (QI) tool that allows imaging facilities to self-assess and document the quality of imaging studies. This study aimed to evaluate users' perceptions of the effectiveness and usefulness of the new QI self-assessment tool. The IAC's QI tool evaluates 4 quality measures: test appropriateness; technical quality/safety; interpretive quality; and report timeliness/completeness. A survey was appended to the tool to assess the perceived value. Between May 2016 and July 2017, a total of 829 facilities completed 5312 self-assessments. During that time, 936 respondents completed the survey. There was a high level of agreement that the tool is easy to use (91.8%), encouraged critical thinking (90.3%), and the activity was worthwhile (89.6%). The results show that most respondents find value in using the voluntary IAC QI Self-assessment Tool. Respondents believed tool use encouraged critical thinking, and they were satisfied with the QI self-assessment process.

La necesidad de la sensibilización en los procesos de autoevaluación de la Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR): una mirada crítica y una propuesta efectiva

Lo más importante del logro de una acreditación de calidad para una carrera universitaria debe ser el proceso de autoevaluación, pues son los procesos de autoevaluación los que precisamente le dan sentido a la acreditación. Ahora bien, esto no significa (o no debería significar) que el propósito de la autoevaluación es la acreditación. El cuestionamiento crítico es: ¿realmente son las carreras universitarias conscientes de la situación señalada o se ha convertido el “título de acreditación” en el único propósito real? En este documento, a partir de diversas experiencias de autoevaluación con miras a la acreditación o reacreditación en la Universidad de Costa Rica, se explora la importancia de que las carreras estén verdaderamente sensibilizadas respecto al propósito de la autoevaluación, reconozcan su importancia como parte esencial para superar algunas de las dificultades que se encuentran en los procesos. Como respuesta, desde el Centro de Evaluación Académica de la Vicerrectoría de Docencia de la Universidad de Costa Rica, se plantea una forma particular de concebir y desarrollar un proceso de sensibilización para las carreras que desarrollan una autoevaluación con miras a la acreditación o certificación.

De la autoevaluación a la gestión de la calidad y la innovación. El caso de la Escuela de Administración de Negocios (UCR)

La Escuela de Administración de Negocios (EAN) de la Universidad de Costa Rica ha ido trazando una ruta hacia la construcción de una cultura de excelencia, sustentada en la calidad y la innovación; parte de los procesos de autoevaluación iniciados en el 2006, transita por la acreditación obtenida en el 2016 y avanza en el diseño de un sistema de gestión de la calidad e innovación, para darle sostenibilidad a la mejora continua. El artículo presentará la evolución que esta Escuela ha realizado en el tema de gestión de la calidad y la innovación como ejes estratégicos del accionar académico. Se hará referencia a los antecedentes, acciones emprendidas, logros alcanzados, lecciones aprendidas y la visión prospectiva para hacer sostenible el compromiso por la excelencia. Se resaltará el papel protagónico de la Dirección, así como de los equipos y actores claves, liderados por la Comisión de Calidad e Innovación para el Mejoramiento Académico (CCIMA). El trabajo colaborativo, la comunicación asertiva y la corresponsabilidad de la buena marcha de los procesos de mejora, se convierten en elementos dinamizadores que, sumados a la reflexión crítica y la actuación ética, realimentan la implicación de los distintos grupos de interés. Los avances logrados evidencian que binomio “calidad e innovación” incide directamente no sólo en los procesos de acreditación obtenidos, sino que trasciende sus compromisos de mejora continua, mediante buenas prácticas que contribuyen a la consolidación de sistemas de gestión y sostenibilidad de una cultura de excelencia en la Educación Superior.

Quality Assurance and Accreditation at University of Kurdistan Hewler

The University of Kurdistan Hewler (UKH) attained accreditation from the Accreditation Service of International Schools, Colleges & Universities (ASIC) based in the United Kingdome (UK) on 19th of December 2018. Achieving accreditation was the conclusion of a two-year comprehensive internal audit, conducted as a self-assessment process by the Office of Quality Assurance and Accreditation (QA&A) in the UKH. The purpose of this review is to explore if the existing quality assurance status at UKH met the requirement of ASIC criteria for the attainment of international accreditation. The process included a qualitative study and documentary analysis, interviews and questionnaires. The accreditation process revealed that the quality areas of learning and teaching, course delivery, quality assurance and enhancement, premises and Health & Safety, student welfare, management and staff resources, and marketing & recruitment, are significantly efficient.